What stops original music from being in some games?

[Kyranik]

I don't know much about licencing and copyright law, so what exactly prevents the original music from say, Gundam Wing, from appearing in Dynasty Warriors Gundam? Or the score from SEED being included in Never Ending Tommorow? I can understand why Turn-A's music was left out of DW: Gundam, but why have the rest been replaced with Bandai's own-brand generi-rock?

Is this down to money, such as Zeta Gundam's DVD release, or is there anything else to do with it? How does the copyright/licence differ from an anime when the music is used in a game?

[Kurando]

The people who make the games are already paying copyright for all the mecha, characters ect. (Unless bandai happen to be making the game.. since they own the rights to gundam) and having to pay all the singers and bands for using their songs is just one thing some companys would rather not pay. It's like whenever you hear a song on the radio. That band is getting money for it.

[Celestial Gundam]

I guess you could call it being cheap...

But I would enjoy a game more if the original soundtracks were in the game (especially if it was based on an anime).

[midnightcitysky]

what I don't get is why banpresto has no issues using instrumental and vocal tracks from the series in all their games, but bandai games (and bandai namco games) seems to outright refuse to...aren't they both owned by bandai. I'm just wondering what keeps one company from using the non j-pop, non-opening themes in games like gundam musou...

I'd find it to be non-sensical if the reason was that bandai games would have to pay the main branch money... but haviing to pay the composers of the song would be a valid point, but again I ask, why can banpresto's super robot wars, another century episode, and scramble commander franchises use the anime tracks while only bandai's SD- G-gen games use anime tracks?

edited cuz i realized the way I worded something was inadvertantly snide